Texans veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor, a starter who remains on injured reserve, is making steady progress and coach David Culley expressed some optimism about his eventual return and said his hamstring will be evaluated again this week.
Culley was noncommittal, though, on when Taylor will be designated for return from injured reserve and launch his 21-day practice window.
Whenever Taylor fully recovers from a Grade 2 strained hamstring suffered against the Cleveland Browns, he apparently will regain his starting job from rookie Davis Mills.
"We're just going to go day-to-day with him right now and kind of see where he's at," Culley said regarding Taylor on Monday morning at NRG Stadium. "It's better than it did last week. As we move along, he's getting better and better. It is better than it was last week."
A former Pro Bowl selection, Taylor completed 10 of 11 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for a 144.3 passer rating before having to leave the Browns game at halftime. Taylor completed 70.5 percent of his throws for 416 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a career-high 122.9 passer rating before the injury.
Culley emphasized that there will definitely be a ramp-up period for Taylor to make sure he doesn't have a setback with his left leg.
"That's what we're going to look at and see this week, where he's at," Culley said "We won't just bring him back and just throw him into the game. He'll have to have some practice time. We'll treat him that way just like we did the other guys."
Since Taylor got hurt, the 1-5 Texans are on a five-game losing streak with Mills going 0-4 as the starter.
Culley has stated he doesn't believe in a starter losing a job due to an injury.
"No, I do not," Culley said. "He'll be our starting quarterback."
Culley's stance of a player not losing their job because of getting injured was welcomed by veteran players inside the Texans' locker room.
"I respect it and I appreciate it," said running back Mark Ingram Jr., a three-time Pro Bowl selection. "There's a lot of things you can control and can't control and one thing you can't control is injuries. To have a coach that believes in you and once you get healthy to start off where you left back, I think that is a blessing. That's someone that understands football.
"That's someone that understands the pedigree of football. Injuries are inevitable in football. To have a coach who believes in his guy and has his guy's back when they have an injury, that's something that's a blessing and something a lot of guys would appreciate."
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who caught nine passes for 89 yards on 13 targets during a 31-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, emphasized that he's not playing any favorites on the pending quarterback decision. Mills did throw a bad interception over the middle as he was picked off by linebacker Darius Leonard with the turnover leading to a touchdown in the third quarter. The third-round draft pick from Stanford completed 29 of 43 passes for 243 yards and two interceptions at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“Love T, love Davis,” Cooks said. “At the end of the day, I love all my teammates. That’s a decision only a coach can make, that’s who I’ll put my trust in.”
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128
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